I got 5 touring batteries all over 5. 4 of them at 7. I disagree 2-3 years in modern bikes. I don't tender. I charge 2-3 times in the winter, and charge night before 1st ride. I do not live in a hot area. I don't think my garage gets over 80. Usually less. Even my SXSs , atvs, and snowmobile go around 5-7 years. Still on first snomobile battery or I would have said 7. Just lead acid.

So I don't agree. For harley I only buy harley, even though I am 100% harley guy. I buy lots of fleet farm batteries for other vehicles. ATV I charge before I need to plow. SXSs and sled are on tender during season a lot. Off season, just throw a charge on here and there. And charge before 1st ride, so not to stress it.

 

Of course you disagree. That's your MO. But you said you don't live in a hot climate. What about those who do? We all know (well, most of us know) that heat is hard on batteries. So do you believe that 2-3 years could potentially be the lifespan of a motorcycle battery in, say, Texas or Florida? I'm guessing no.

 

My original HD battery from factory lasted 2 years. That's it. It was dead after that. That's without plugging it in because I didn't think I would need a tenderer for a newer battery. I bought new one last year. If I don't keep my bike on charger if bike sits for a while (say, a week or two), that thing will have hard time starting.

Maybe older bikes without the security system and blinking light last longer...not in newer bikes though. Not without plugging it in.

 

Read the post of mine you quoted, or my other ones on this.

 

I'm on my third battery on my 17. First battery, no tender lasted 3 years, second battery tendered daily lasted about 3 years.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. This is Charleston, SC not Texas either.

 

What batteries are you using?

 

First was the OEM, the second and third are/were a Deka ETX30L. The third is a year old now.

 

Would be interesting to compare battery life between the Soft Tails that have the battery tucked in the void created by the horseshoe oil tank, this oil tank has got to get hot with the engine oil in it and compare against a Dyna or touring bike where the battery isn't subjected to the heat of the oil tank.

 

There is that, I have also wondered if they spec them the same as touring bikes.

 

Battery tenders can cause problems. Plug it in every night and it starts just great every time. But then you spend a night on the road and uh oh, bike won't start. Because the battery was bad before you left home but you didn't know it because it was never left off the charger. If you are riding every week or two it is not wise to put it on a charger. Then you will know if the battery is getting weak before you get stranded.